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As mentioned in another post I want to take the struts out of an unlicenced Outback and put them in my Liberty
But things are not going to plan I've been spraying WD 40 on the nuts and bolts every evening for the last 4 days in preparation as I've read the bottom strut nuts can be hard to undo(that's an understatement)
I've jacked up one corner of the OB loosened the three top strut nuts, cut through and bent back the bracket holding the brake line.
But I cant budge the bottom bracket nut, I'm using a 6 point socket, I've even tried puting a 2' length of steel tubing over the bar to give me more leverage, hit the nut and bolt with hammer, yes I am doing it anti clockwise, hit the socket bar with a hammer and rubber mallet, even tried a potion of half acetone and half brake fluid. It's been 3 hours now!
I don't have access to one of those butaine flame tools to heat it.
Ant suggestions????
I'm thinking of taking to it with my angle grinder and grinding the head of the bolt and then tapping it through and buy new bolts for the install. I'm not to keen on the angle grinder with it being close to the fuel tank and all those sparks.

It is times like this that you need a rattle gun

you need what ever size socket it is and breaker bar (with extension) and brute strength

TOONGA

shouldnt be that hard!? tried a spanner on one side and a socket of the other turning in an opposite direction?

what did you cut? it should all just unbolt?

alex

Alex there's a bracket that holds the brake line and I read on the internet to just hacksaw through this bend it back and slide out the break line, which I did.
Anyway back to the bolts...
I must be soft as I have tried a socket and a ring spanner in opposite directions and I couldn't budge it. Since my first post I've managed to put a tiny hairline crack in the 19mm socket. I'm off to the shops to get a new 19mm socket.
Any one in Perth want to earn some $$$ pm me!

19mm socket and ringo short extension onto a breaker bar then go for your life mate... i've used 2m long pipes ontop of a breaker bar to do it.. just coat her up with rp7 or the like aswell.

now that i think about it man.. one of the bolts is an oval shape in the strut so you have to take the nut off and knock it through, you cant actually twist the bolt, so only loosen the nut off its a pain in the ass as the nuts go on the inside but thats how you have to do it.. as the bolt it's self will not rotate.. and from memory i think it's the top one..

looks like you are swinging off the bolt. Try turning the nut...

Went out and bought a new sidechrome socket came home and managed to undo 2 out of the 16 bolts(2 cars=8 struts) both were the top bolts (and they were just normal not oval) So the bottom nuts that are hard to get at must have the oval bolt.

Bent the socket arm on the next bolt, had a day off work today so started on the cars at 8.30am now 4.30pm, have given up for today
I don't think I have the right tools eg huge breaker bar, rattle gun etc.

How can such tiny little nuts hold me up so much??????

Goodness me !! I suppose using a pipe on the end of your new Sidchrome breaker bar? is not covered by warranty? Sometime Confucioos say "try to do up before undo" and sometimes Confucious right, bastards come undone after a tweak in the wrong direction.

In here, people have their preferences such as WD40, RP7 etc, Subaru manuals list a part number CRC556, sort of tricky place for penetrant to get into there.
This may be a chance for you to put a face to a name

steptoe wrote:Goodness me !! I suppose using a pipe on the end of your new Sidchrome breaker bar? is not covered by warranty? Sometime Confucioos say "try to do up before undo" and sometimes Confucious right, bastards come undone after a tweak in the wrong direction.

In here, people have their preferences such as WD40, RP7 etc, Subaru manuals list a part number CRC556, sort of tricky place for penetrant to get into there.
This may be a chance for you to put a face to a name

It wasn't a pipe that bent it, it was my foot I figured my leg muscles would be stronger than my arms, yep tried the tweak in the opposite direction, no luck.
I read on the internet test results for forces used to free nuts using the above lubricants and more other brands. The winner was a home made concoction of equal parts acetone and brake fluid which when tested against the others used the least amount of force.

Are you sure you are undoing and not tightening?
Definitely something weird, They sure normally just unbolt easily!!:S

Yep anti clockwise
After a google search I'm not the only one quite a few people have had this issue and they usually end up taking to a "workshop" where they have a rattle gun.
I had thought about buying one of those nut crackers, not sure if I could get it into place on the lower inside nut.
This poor guy started to make a series of vids, but after his nut gets stuck he doesn't seem to post any more vids
http://youtu.be/Fih-Iw1ksJQ
Anyway I'm seriously contemplating the trusty old grinder tomorrow, cut the bolt heads off then knock them through.
Any thoughts on all the sparks and being close to the fuel tank??

mainbreak wrote:Went out and bought a new sidechrome socket came home and managed to undo 2 out of the 16 bolts(2 cars=8 struts) both were the top bolts (and they were just normal not oval) So the bottom nuts that are hard to get at must have the oval bolt.

Bent the socket arm on the next bolt, had a day off work today so started on the cars at 8.30am now 4.30pm, have given up for today
I don't think I have the right tools eg huge breaker bar, rattle gun etc.

How can such tiny little nuts hold me up so much??????

I once made a new Sidchrome sliding tee handle look like that, but I did have a big cheater bar on it. Bought it from Bummings, so took it back, told them it failed under normal use, and the lovely but clueless lass at the service desk gave me a refund .

Dane.

Might be worth just spending the $50 and get a blow torch with fat boy gas tank from bunnings. Heat it up to red hot and then use the breaker bar. It won't be a wasted $50, those torches come in useful all over the place.

if you can get a drill into it try drilling s eries of holes down the side of the nut and crack it with a chisel. try 1/8 holes as close to gether as you can and then drill larger ones until they join up.

Excellent idea tony, thanks

Or , have you tried with safety goggles, ear plugs and no witnesses a BFH just to smack the bolt head and give it a shock, bit like a good rattle gun approach. If you bought rattle gun and compressor say from anyone offering Father's day specials, even the cheapy gun likely to give up like you did with the breaker bar

I just tried the bang it with a hammer method on a gudgeon pin access hole plug that would not budge at the rear of EA82 block. It worked for the plug that was not recessed like its brother. Brother still no budge. No worry Nev, it's a NA block, yours is just the water pump plug to deal with before I have a go at the gudgeons!!

Ive got to ask... how did you stand underneath the car?

if you used your leg... did you stand on the breaker bar/ T bar or did you push up on it ? (this is me thinking that you put the breaker bar/T bar on the nut side)

I know this will sound strange but put the breaker bar/T bar on the nut side, using a extension bar give the nut a very sudden tweak. (anti clockwise of course) it will either break the bolt, shear the nut or make a noise like it did, then the nut should come loose.

TOONGA

Spragged myself against another car sat on my bum foot raised, tbar bent on the top bolt on the rear drivers side.
Scored a near new big 19mm sidchrome ring spanner today from cash converters for $10 (I borrowed the other one I was using from my neighbour) Saw them at the auto shop for $30